


Press on the pedal, and never stop

by Unfried_Mouth_Wheat



Series: Runaways [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: M/M, Running Away
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:15:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27627319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unfried_Mouth_Wheat/pseuds/Unfried_Mouth_Wheat
Summary: Zuko is thirteen when he get's burned by his father.The bandages are still on when he runs away. Or more accurately, drives.
Relationships: Jet & Zuko (Avatar), Jet/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Runaways [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2047049
Comments: 11
Kudos: 78





	Press on the pedal, and never stop

Father hadn't questioned when he had asked for more racing games. He didn't care enough to question it.

Zuko had been planning this for a long time. He had already been buying snacks with his allowance. Father had called him a glutton, despite the fact that he hadn't even touched the boxes after he bought them.

It was a Saturday when his head was held to the fireplace. He didn't know what day it was now. It was a meeting, a meeting that he hadn't been invited too. A meeting that he shouldn't have interrupted. No one tried to stop Father. They were all too scared of him. They all listened to him scream.

Jet was the one who had planted the idea of running away in his head. It was a few months after Mother had left with Azula. He had heard a noise from outside and decided to check it out. The noise as it turned out was a homeless boy who had been trying to steal from the neighbors. The moment Zuko had shone the flashlight at him, he ran away and into the darkness. Zuko hadn't heard the sound of rubber against asphalt. Only the soft padding of skin. The next night, he had heard the very same padding. He was expecting it this time. After that, he did hear rubber against asphalt. He didn't tell Father.

The moment he had woken up, he emptied out his backpack and filled it with clothes and other essentials. He felt his cheeks flush as he shoved a plush turtleduck in with the other necessities. Mrs. Quacks was absolutely mandatory. He had snuck into the bathroom and opened up the cabinet, grabbing all the pain killers he could find and throwing them into the backpack.

He crept down the stairs, backpack slung over his shoulder. He was deathly quiet as he walked past Father's door. It was night so he was probably sleeping but still. He made his way to the living room. He stared at the fireplace. Even in the darkness he could see the dried blood. He shivered before continuing his search. He finally found Father's wallet. He pulled out one of the credit cards and a set of keys. Surely Father wouldn't miss them. He slipped if his shoes and threw in his coat before walking out the front door.

It was cold, but it was nearing winter so that was to be expected. He made sure the garage was unlocked before he went to the back of the house. Jet was there, waiting for him.

"Hey." Zuko said, throat aching from all the screaming he had just gotten done with. Jet turned to look at him. He seemed happy at first but then he saw the bandages. He gasped.

"What happened?" Zuko stayed silent. "Okay then, what's going to happen next?"

"We're going to get into my car and run away." He said. Now it was Jet's turn to go silent. "What?"

"Are you sure you can drive? I know you've been using those games and shit, but aren't you like doped up on meds right now?" Oh. Well he hadn't exactly thought about that.

"It's our only option." He pleaded. Jet thought for a moment.

"Yeah, okay. Let's do it." He said before smiling. There was a hole where one of Jet's teeth had been knocked out in a fight. At least, that's what Jet told him. He smiled back before motioning for Jet to follow him.

They made their way through the garage, careening around shiny new cars. After what felt like hours of just going through the garage, they finally came to a van. It wasn't new like the others. In fact, it hadn't been started up for five years.

"Get in." He said, unlocking it. Jet didn't need to be told twice, slipping into the passenger seat and buckling up. Zuko got into the drivers side and did the same. Now was the moment of truth. He stuck in the key and turned it. The van started up with a sputter, but it started. 

Zuko wasn't dumb. He knew that just playing games wouldn't teach him how to drive. That's why he had spent months reading ever driver's manual he could get his hands on. He slowly backed out of the garage before parking. He got out and shut the garage door. 

"We're gonna need to stop for gas and stuff before we drive away." He said, Jet just nodded, holding on tightly to his seat. It had coincidentally been five years since Jet had been in a car. The driving was smooth but that didn't stop Jet from being nervous.

They made it to a gas station, which luckily had an ATM. Zuko took all the money off the credit card as he knew Father would cancel it when he found out that he had it. He then paid for the gas.

"What happens if the police ask for your ID or something?" Jet asked as he got back in, having made a purchase as the gas station.

"We'll speed up I guess." He supplied, making Jet smile. He didn't return the sentiment this time. Instead, he pulled out what he had bought. Scissors. Jet got a somber look on his face. He didn't really know the importance of Zuko's hair, but Zuko had explained that it was very important. That's why he stayed quiet when Zuko let his hair down and started cutting.

The Phoenix Tail was deposed of in the trash can by the gas pump. It was weird, having his hair be this short. Jet was using all his will power to not touch it.

"Are you ready?" He asked. Jet nodded. The van started up again and they drove out of the gas station parking lot. "Goodbye." He said to no one in particular .

**Author's Note:**

> This may or may not become a series. I tagged this as both a platonic and romantic ship as it can really be interpreted either way. I will say that if it does become a series the likelihood of it becoming explicitly romantic is high. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


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